Jar-sealing apparatus.



PATENTED MAY 1 ,1903. W; H. nomss. JAR SEALING APPARATUS."

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 1901.

Inventor: v

30 MODEL.

: 71/ tine/8696*:

UNITED STATES Patented May 12, 1903.

ATENT FFICE;

FOURTHS TO BEECH-NUT PACKING COMPANY, OF

CANAJOHARIE, NEW

YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW'YO'RK, AND WILLIAM A. LORENZ, OF

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

f JAR-SEALlN G APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 727,631, dated ma 12, 1903. Application filed September 9, 1901. Serial No. 74,723. (No model.)

f all whom it may concern.- 7 Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. HONISS, a citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented,

ID apparatus for exhausting and hermetically;

sealing jars, cans, and similar receptacles, and particularly relates to that class of apparatus in which thezseal is made automatically by the readmitted atmospheric pressure after the desired vacuum is obtained.

My preferred embodiment of-this invention is shown in the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side'view insect/ion, taken along the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an end view in section, taken along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side View showing in section a modified arrangement of the movable wall or diaphragm presser of the apparatus. Fig. 4: is another fragmentary a 5 sectional view showing another modified form of packing-joint. 7

These so-called vacuum-jars of the type herein shown for the preservation of food and other products-are usually closed by means of 0 a cap or cover. ha-vingan Inclined or tapering flange which fits upon either the inside or the outside of the neck of the jar, the'hermetic joint being made by means of an annular gasket, of rubber or similar material, which en- 3 5 circles the mouth of the jar and against which the tapering or flaring flange of the cover is' firmly held by atmospheric pressure after a suitable vacuum has been Obtained in the jar. In orderto obtain the best results and 0 to preserve with certainty'whatever degree of vacuum may be obtained within the jars, the covers thereof should be maintained in a level position and be forced down far enough to compress the gaskets entirely around the annular joint before readmitting the atmosheric pressure; otherwise that pressure is liable to enter the jar, and thus destroy the vacuum, or at least diminish it to an uncertain extent, because of various irregularities of form or contour almost inseparable from the commercial manufacture of the jars, covers, and gaskets, so that in Order to obtain "reliable and uniform sealing some extraneous means must be provided for forcing each cover down at least far enough to securely close its joint all around before readmitting the atmospheric pressure to the exterior side of the joint. Forthis purpose various mechanical appliances have been devised, most of which are complicated and expensive and require to be operated from the exterior of the Vacuum-receiver. Furthermore, even though the jars, covers, and gaskets should be approximately circular and uniform it is obviously desirable, especially in the sealing of jars of the type herein shown, having a tapering neck anda flaring cover, to provide for maintaining the cover in an approximately level position during the exhausting operation; otherwise it is liable to become tilted, thereby presenting an elliptical line of contact to the circular contact-line of the gasket, and thus impairing the completeness and security of the seal. For these reasons it is desirable for the reliable'sealing both of perfectly and imperfectly formed jars to maintain the covers in a level position while pressing them down, and in the case of imperfectly-formed jars'it is additionally and particularly desirable to temporarily exclude the air from the exterior of the joints until after the covers have been pressed down at least far enough to close 'all 'possiblebpenings around those joints. 1 The object of this invention is to provide means for performing these functions by simple, inexpensive, and conveniently-manipulated apparatus, which is operated automatically to make the seal by thereadmitted atmospheric pressure after the required vacuu In has been obtained in the receiver. 5, v

The principal operating agent in my improved apparatus is apresser, having substantially inflexible body for leveling and pressing down the covers. That presser is interposed between the jars to be sealed and the readmitted atmospheric pressure, so as to prevent the air from reaching the joints,

while transmitting the unimpaired force of its impact to effect the sealing of those joints. For the sealing of jars of the ordinary size the presser may extend over and operate upon several of the jars, which react upon the presser as it is pressed against them to maintain it in an approximatelyright-angular relation to the axis of the jars, the presser in turn, by reason of its inflexibility, leveling the tops of the covers to its own plane.

This apparatus in the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings is employed in connection with an air-exhausting receiver R,havingan outlet-pipe O,connected with any suitable air-exhausting pump. A presserchamber 9 is formed, preferably, in the upper portion of the apparatus, separated from the interior space of the receiver by means of the movable presser 10, which extends in an approximately level position across the receiver, either to the inner sides of the walls thereof or to any convenient means for engaging with the edges of the presser and for closing the edges of the presser-chamber, of which the presser itself constitutes the lower and movable wall. An arrangement convenient for construction and assembling is shown in the drawings, in which the edges of the presser 10 are engaged by the brackets 12, de-

- pending from the upper wall of the receiver.

These brackets inclose the presser 10 and its chamber 9 on all sides and extend beneath the edges of the plate to form supportingshoulders 13, leaving sufficient vertical space to allow of the required downward movement of the presser. The body or plate portion 14 of the presser, which comes in contact with and serves to level and press down the covers 0 of the jars J, is substantiallyinfiexible and may be made of any suitable material, the choice of which will determine to a great extent the proper thickness thereof.

lVhen employed in connection with a properly-disposed plurality of jars, the inflexible or body portion of the presser, although of extended area, may fit directly against the side walls of the presser-chambersuiticiently close to exclude the air and yet be moved freely in a vertical direction to the desired extent without cramping at the edges, by reason of being maintained in a level position by the jars; but for certainty of operation under all circumstances I prefer to provide the presser with a flexible edge or packing-strip, as herein shown. In that case the inflexible or body portion of the presser does not extend entirely to the encompassing walls of the presserchamber. In the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2 the joint is made by means of a packing strip or sheet 15, of rubber or other suitable flexible material, which may, as herein shown, cover the entire area of the body let, or it may be a marginal strip attached to the margins of the plate 1 1.

The presser-chamber 9 is connected with the outlet-pipe O by means of a branch pipe 0, a shut-otf valve V being interposed in one i of these two pipes between their junction with each otherand with the apparatus. The chamber 9 is also provided with an inlet-valve I, which is closed during the exhausting operation.

The space below the presser 10 serves as a jar-chamber 16 for the jars J, which may be convenient way. In the improved apparatus herein shown the jars are placed upon a truck 18, the wheels of which rest upon a platform 19, which is mounted upon parallel links 20, pivotally supported at the bottom of the apparatus. One of these links is extended to form the lever 21, by means of which the platform is raised and lowered, the links swinging to any required angular position represented by the radial lines 22 and 23, the latter position being suitable for lowering the platform and its truck far enough to enable the tops of the jars to clear the presser 10 in Wheeling the truck into and out of the apparatus. In the position shown in Fig. 1 the links are carried toward the left far enough to enable the truck to rest upon the supports 25, which thereby prevent the downward pressure of the sealing operation from coming upon the links 22. In order to prevent the jars and their loosely-supported covers from sliding against the presser 10 while the platform is being swung to its upper position, (shown in Fig. 1,) a stop 26 is provided at the end of the receiver, against which the end of the truck abuts when it is wheeled to its position upon the platform, the wheels of the truck being turned by the platform as the latter is swung over to the position shown in Fig. 1 without moving the truck itself, so that the stop serves to guide the lifting movement of the truck in a vertical direction instead of permitting it to partake of the swinging motion of the platform beneath it. The heights of the platform and the truck are herein shown to be adapted to support the jars at a suitable elevation for holding the presser 10 above the shoulders 13 far enough to permit; and insure a suitable range of movement of the presser for the sealing operation.

In the operation of this apparatus the filled jars, having their covers placed in position upon their respective gaskets,are placed in the receiverin the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The front of the receiver is then hermetically closed and the exhausting operation begins, during which operation the valve V is open and the inlet I is closed, thereby permitting the air to be exhausted from the presserohamber 9, the jar-chamber 16, and the interiors of the jars. When a suitable vacuum has been thus obtained, the valve V is closed and the inlet-valve I is opened, thus permitting the atmospheric pressure to reenter the chamber 9, while substantially and temporarity excluding it from the jar-chamber 16, thereby enabling the atmospheric pressure to have its full effect upon the presser 10. The valve V is then opened, so as to readmit placed therein upon atrayor platform in any IIO the atmospheric pressureto the interior of the jar-chamber, either from the outside or from the chamber 9, as herein shown, by way of the outlet-pipe O and the branch 0. The front of the receiver is then removed, the truck 18 is withdrawn, and the sealed jars replaced with a new lot to besubjected to the same operation.

In the modified arrangement shown in Fig. 3 the flexible packing-strip 30 of the presser 28 is attached both to the presser and to the adjacent wall or bracket 31 of the presserchamber, so as to make an entirely tight joint between that chamber and the jar-chamber beneath it, and thereby forming a movablediaphragm presser having a substantially inflexible center. The presser should be sustained at a suitable height for properly engaging with and operating upon the jars J, the flexibility of the packing-strip permitting the desired range of movement. In this case alsothe bracket or wall 31 is provided with a shoulder 32, extending beneath the edges of the presser 28, thereby forming a stop to prevent excessive downward movement of the presser if the pressure should inadvertently be admitted to the chamber 9 when no jars are beneath the presser.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4. the packing-strip 35 is attached as a facing to the outer edges of the presser 36 and operates after the manner of a cupped packing against the adjacent wall or bracket 37, the readmitted pressure serving to crowd the free edges of the packing against the wall or bracket 37, thereby increasing the effectiveness of the seal if for any reason this should be found desirable.

The mode of operation of the devices shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is like that already described relevant to the apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2. The body portions of these pressers should be sufficiently inflexible to prevent the readmitted pressure from depressing those portions of the presser which span the intervals between the covers far enough to tilt an unevenly-supported cover to any appreciable extent, the adapt-ability of this presser for the reliable leveling of the caps being largely due to its capacity to withstand the tendency of the readmitted pressure to cause pronounced local deflections or depressions at the unsupported or less supported por- Lions of the presser. This approximately inflexible character of the presser does not preclude it from being employed for the sealing of those commercial jars which for the reasons hereinbefore indicated often permit and require the covers'of adjacent jars to be forced down to varying heights when finally and securely sealed. It is not necessary to successful sealing with this improved apparatus that the presser itself should force or follow each individual cover down to its lowest ultimate position. It is only necessary that the presser shall push each cover down far enough to close all portions of its gasket-joint against sure that may be varied by increasing or diminishing the weight of the presser or in any other obvious way, or, if desired, the presser may be supported by its edges, so as to clear the tops of the covers, thus serving to prevent them from becoming tilted without resting upon them during the exhausting operation. This can best be done in the form of presser shown in Fig. 3 by locating the support for the flexible packing-strip at a suitable height with relation to the tops of the jars. In various other ways the respective features of this invention may be modified in form, function, or degree in accordance with the judgment of the operator to suit the conditions which may arise in practice.

I claim as my invention 1. In a jar-sealing apparatus, in combination with a jar-chamber for a pluralityof jars, a presser-chamber adjacent thereto, a substantially inflexible jar-presser for the jars, forming a movable wall between the two chambers, means for exhausting air from both chambers, and means for readmitting air to the presser-chamber.

2. In a jar-sealing apparatus, in combina-.

tion with a jar-chamber for a plurality of jars, a presser-chamber adjacent thereto, a substantially inflexible jar presser for the jars forming a movable wall between the two chambers, means for exhausting air from both chambers, and means for readmitting air first to the presser-chamber and then to the jar chamber.

3. In a jar-sealing apparatus, in combination with a jarchamber for a plurality of jars, a presser-chamber adjacent thereto, a substantially inflexible jar-presser for the jars, forming a movable wall between the two chambers, means for exhausting air from both chambers, means for readmitting air to the presser-chamber, and means for making a substantially air-tight joint around the presser.

4. In ajar-sealing apparatus, the combination of a jar-chamber,a presser-chamber adjacent thereto, a movable presser interposed between the two chambers, having a substantially inflexible jar pressing portion, provided with aflexible packing edge, and means for stopping and supporting the presser at a predetermined limit of its movement.

5. In a j ar-sealin g apparatus, the combination of a jar-chamber, a presser-chamber adjacent thereto, a movable, but substantially inflexible wall interposed between the two chambers, the chamber-walls being provided with recesses for receiving the edges of the us, a platform mounted upon swinginglinks presser, for permittingapredetermined range t for elevating the platform in parallel planes,

I of movement of the presser, and for stopping and supporting the presser at a predetermined limit of its movement. I platform ata position in which the links have swung beyond their vertical position, for the I purpose specified.

| Signed at Hartford, Conneelicut, ihis (3th day of September, 1901.

WM. H. IIONISS.

(S. In combination with jar-sealingapparatns and with a truck therefor, a platform mounted upon swinging links and adapted to receive and elevate the truck, and a stop for the truck for guiding it in a straight path to prevent it from partaking of the swinging motion of the platform.

I Witnesses: 7. In combination with jarsealing appara- 1 H. MALLNER, NELLIE PHOENIX.

with supports for receiving and supporti-ngthe- 

